A small-town Ohio police chief's penchant for plain speaking has garnered 57,000 "likes" on his department's Facebook page -- more than five times the population of the township he polices.

Chief David Oliver refers to criminals as "mopes" and calls out everyone from handicapped parking violators to would-be crooks who try to outwit his officers on the social medium, msnNOW.com reported.

The page also sports narratives of police patrols, weather reports, community event notices, birthday wishes, quotes of the day and quips from the chief, according to ABC News. Events of the wider world, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, also find a place.

The combination of policing and personality has led to 57,512 "likes" of the page as of midday Tuesday, according the meter on the Facebook page.

That's more than five times Brimfield's 2010 population, given as 10,350 on the town's website, and more than 57 times the 917 "likes" on the township's main Facebook page.

Brimfield's has become one of the most-liked local police pages in the country, the Associated Press said in an article carried by the Huffington Post. Only the New York, Boston and Philadelphia departments have more likes, AP said, citing the International Association of Chiefs of Police Center for Social Media.

The Syracuse Police Department's Facebook page had 3,796 likes as of Tuesday.

Oliver runs the page with the help of a captain and two sergeants, ABC said.

A posting from May 16 provided by AP illustrates Oliver's style:

"I call criminals mopes. I do not comment on them being ugly, smelly or otherwise beauty impaired ... even though some are. I do not comment on their education, social status, color, sex, origin or who they marry. I care about crime and character. If you come to Brimfield and commit a crime we are all going to talk about it. The easiest way to not be called a criminal is to not be one. It is not calculus."

Here's a sample of the treatment ne'er-do-wells might expect, cited by ABC from an April 29 posting:

"Two females arrested . . . They walked into the store thin and walked out much 'thicker.' We are thinking it was the additional shirts and 'booty' shorts they put on under their own clothing . . .Their 'booties' and the rest of them were taken to the bed and breakfast ... where the shorts are longer . . . and so are the days."

It also shows another facet --, Oliver will not post the names and mugshots of criminals on the page. Said Oliver to ABC:

"Imagine a 12-year-old having her friend text her to look at Brimfield's page and say, 'Isn't that your dad?' I can't do that to a child."

The page also welcomes give and take with visitors, as long as they keep it clean and do not refer to police using "highly offensive language," AP reported.

A posting Tuesday showed more of the page's community character. A photo showed an officer spraying police pedal car that a youngster had brought to the department's fund-raising car wash. Noted Oliver:

Matthew, who is at the younger person speech age, wanted his car washed . . . so Officers Pettit, Diehl and Casterline made it shine. We also gave him a badge and 'No Mopes' sticker for the car.
"The young man refers to me by my new name, known by 2 year-olds all over the world....'Cheap Otter.'
"I am Cheap Otter.......Chief Oliver"

Hr credited "The Andy Griffith Show," one of the few television programs his grandparents let him watch, for helping to keep him on the straight and narrow. The respectful, plain-spoken sheriff played by Taylor had the biggest influence on his career, he said.

"I just always thought, you know, that's a good way to handle things."

What do you think of Oliver's use of Facebook? Please leave a comment below.